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Monday, October 22, 2012

Someone Stole My Time!

Taking back time.

It was here just a moment ago, or
rather an hour ago. I know it was
here. Sometimes, I don’t think I
misplaced it like I do my keys or coffee mug.
I’m usually quite careful with it, trying hard to take care not to waste
it as I do some paychecks. That’s why I
know it was stolen. It had to be.

You see, when I woke up this
morning it was all here, every minute of every hour as it should be. The entire day lay before me full of possible
accomplishment. And I had my list of To
Dos in my Day Planner just waiting to be checked off and crossed out. First, however, I had to play Taxi. It’s not a game I enjoy all the time, but one
that has to be played, nonetheless. The
girls have to get to work and the eight-year old to school. With limited cars, it’s my job to chauffeur
everyone back and forth and that takes time.
My time.

Finally when I’m back home and with
the house empty, I can get started on my day, which begins with a cigar and
coffee on the back porch. It’s a morning
ritual that helps set the tone for the day and, therefore, vital. It’s not wasted time. Not really.
I’m usually writing in my journal or working on one of my many projects
as I enjoy the morning quietness. Of
course, the squirrels and butterflies provide a time-consuming distraction, at
times. I can’t help but watch as I get
lost in the antics of the tiny tree climbers or the graceful fluttering of the
butterflies as they float around our garden.
Yet, there goes more time stolen.

From the porch, I head back
inside, because by then in Florida it’s already at flesh melting
temperatures. It takes a moment to get
settled back in and, of course, I have to check in with Facebook and Twitter to
see what’s happened in the two hours I was away from my laptop. I also need to check the blog for comments
and my Smashwords account for downloads.
However, there are always links to follow and threads to read that hook
me in, stealing even more of my time. I
send out birthday wishes and share the funny pictures George Takai posts and
soon the chance for my word count goal is being reduced because time is simply
evaporating.

Then there’s lunch - I have to
eat, right? - followed by picking up Dyl from school and the girls from work. There are small half hour chunks of time
between pick-ups, but really, by the time I get started it’s time to quit. Furthermore, there are texts to answer and
phone calls to take and soon 5,000 words dwindle to 2,500. Add to that those days that errands have to
be run or someone forgets something and I have to run it to them and you can
see why I want to call the police to report a theft. Someone stole my entire day and I want it
returned.

A few weeks ago when the girls and
I sat down to discover where all of our money went, we learned that it wasn’t
the major purchases or bills sucking our accounts dry. It was the many nickel and dime purchases
that ate up all the cash - a soda here or there, a bag of chips, a cute
notebook or pen. It doesn’t seem like
much at the time, but it can add up quick and soon we’re wondering how to pay
the power bill.

The exact same thing happened
with our time, as well. Ten minutes on
the computer checking social media, that five minute phone call or simply the
three minutes it takes to leave the porch and get settled back at my desk. It may only take ten seconds to send a text,
but 100 texts equals ten minutes. All of
those little minutes can very easily add up to hours lost putting words to
paper. The stolen time equals dreams
delayed.

I’ve wasted enough time in my
life, time that I stole from myself that I will never be able to get back. For that reason, it drives me crazy when I
find myself losing precious time now.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t feel
that every moment of every day has to be structured or even have a
purpose. However, in order to accomplish
anything in life you have to budget your time just as you do your salary, and
if you’re going to be productive and succeed with your dreams, you will
approach it just like that.

When I sit down to do my monthly
budget, I list out several categories, such as house, car, food, clothing,
booze and entertainment, more booze, oh, and cigars. I can’t forget the cigars. There may be more, but I’m sure you don’t
care about my budget details. I don’t
usually follow it anyway, but at least, I can say I have one.

When it comes to my time, I try
to do the same thing. I budget out my
day to certain projects and even assign certain days to accomplish specific
tasks. For example, though I post my
essays to The Mess Monday through Friday, I actually write them on the weekends. I save the work week for my other major creations. Then I attempt to block off time per day for
the varying projects, such as morning hours for fiction and afternoon for
creative nonfiction or articles. Even
then I break those chunks of time down into specific projects, the first hour
for one series, the next for research on another. This keeps everything progressing forward and
I don’t become burnt out or stuck on one thing.
This doesn’t mean that allowance isn’t made for some flexibility. If one project just seems to be flowing, I
will continue to scribble forward, getting the most out of my ink as possible.

To make the most of your money,
you have to control the nickel and dime spending. Likewise, in order to make the most of each
day, you have to gain control of the second and minute time wasters. Most of my writing is accomplished away from
the computer so I don’t give in and get sucked into the social media black hole. To be productive I have to set barriers
around my time in order to keep those things that I know will steal it from
getting their minute hands on it, such as the phone and even the house on some
days. If I’ve allowed my Honey Dos to
grow I’ll be distracted to tackle some of the jobs taking me away from my time
writing. To avoid this I just go to a
park or coffee house so that my mind can stay focused. I know you think it would be easier to just
stay on top of the chore list, but really, that’s another post and a
conversation that would steal time away from this post.

Too many lost days will add up to
years and soon years will become decades.
Hasn’t enough time been stolen from you already? Decide today to add some solid structure to
the twenty-four hours we each have and see just how much more you can accomplish. Isn’t it time you recaptured your time?

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About Robbie

The Mess That Is Me is merely my unique observations that sometimes find themselves hiding in the dark corners of a twisted mind. It is a sampling of what clutters my desk and fills the manila envelopes that find their way to editors In-boxes. If you enjoy what you read, please share the URL.

I live in sunny Florida where I spend my days taxiing the family to various places while jotting down the many crazy thoughts inside my head. I enjoy a freelance career writing for several magazines sharing some of my interesting viewpoints on life and those around me. I can usually be found on my back porch watching the squirrels chittering at the birds while enjoying a cigar, a scotch, and the many characters that talk to me inside my head.

My manuscripts have appeared in religious, parenting and retirement magazines, along with a ghost story or two. I am the author of the short story, Circle of Justice and the novella, Reaping the Harvest, both of which can be found at Smashwords.com, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon. Feel free to visit, strike up a chat and share a story or two with me.